This life: My 3,000 Loving Arms comes through on its promise; also Louise Brooks qua cat

I haven't added a posting here since Monday; let me explain. "This life" is promised in the tagline of My 3,000 Loving Arms, and that's what you'll get today.

Monday I met with a job specialist to see about getting me back to full-time work with benefits. Uphill. Tuesday through Thursday I got (very) lucky and worked, three whole days in a row, proofreading at an ad agency. My networking months past paid off.

You must realize that with the exception of my four or so years of adjunct teaching here, my jobs in New York City have kept ridiculously rich people rich. At a variety of giant financial institutions, infamous trading companies and banks, and ad agencies serving them, I've done my little bit by copyediting, moving commas and correcting spelling.

It's where I've landed, despite efforts in other directions. Nevertheless, observing how the world is run fascinates. A Pulitzer-nominated playwright friend, with great politics, leads a life parallel to mine and agrees we're granted a rare perspective. Notoriously, academics isn't a safe zone. Is there one?

Love of poetry (just reread some Lorca); excitement about fiction (reading Jian Rong's Wolf Totem, translated from Chinese); new stories I'm writing; friends; sky sun clouds trees Central Park museums the Internet strong legs and a love of walking. And the occasional photo-bearing e-mail from poet and professor Jonathan Morse, a man of two muses, Hawaiin flora and his cat ("Hommage a Louise Brooks" pictured).

It's a life.